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Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Related: Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators  Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers  Lathe & Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic  Milling & Planing Machine Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic  Tool & Die Makers 
Industries: Manufacturing 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Confer with numerical control programmers to check and ensure that new programs or machinery will function properly and that output will meet specifications.
    • Separate scrap waste and related materials for reuse, recycling, or disposal.
    • Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
    • Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
    • Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
    • Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
    • Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
    • Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
    • Establish work procedures for fabricating new structural products, using a variety of metalworking machines.
    • Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
    • Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
    • Design fixtures, tooling, or experimental parts to meet special engineering needs.
    • Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
    • Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
    • Check work pieces to ensure that they are properly lubricated or cooled.
    • Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
    • Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
    • Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
    • Prepare working sketches for the illustration of product appearance.
    • Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
    • Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines.
    • Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools.
    • Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
    • Install experimental parts or assemblies, such as hydraulic systems, electrical wiring, lubricants, or batteries into machines or mechanisms.
    • Diagnose machine tool malfunctions to determine need for adjustments or repairs.
    • Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
    • Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
    • Evaluate machining procedures and recommend changes or modifications for improved efficiency or adaptability.
    • Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
    • Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
    • Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.
    • Dispose of scrap or waste material in accordance with company policies and environmental regulations.
    • Confer with engineering, supervisory, or manufacturing personnel to exchange technical information.
    • Advise clients about the materials being used for finished products.
    • Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
    • Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
    • Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
    • Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.

    Skills

    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.

    Abilities

    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.

    Knowledge

    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    More than 1 year on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    64510/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    31.01/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    7,980
    Yearly Projected Openings
    860

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Perseverance

    Tools

    • Adjustable angle plate
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Angle cutter
    • Anvils
    • Arbors
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Bench dog
    • Bench vises
    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Blow torch
    • Boring machines
    • Calipers
    • Casting machines
    • Center gauge
    • Chamfering machine
    • Chucks
    • Cold chisels
    • Column and knee milling machine
    • Combination pliers
    • Combination wrenches
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Cylinder gauge
    • Deburring tool
    • Desktop computers
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Double ended stud
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Drilling machines
    • End cut pliers
    • Facial shields
    • Feeler gauges
    • Flat hand file
    • Forklifts
    • Gage block set
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Grinders
    • Grinding machines
    • Hacksaw
    • Half round file
    • Hammers
    • Hand clamps
    • Hand reamer
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • Honing machine
    • Horizontal machining center
    • Horizontal turning center
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Induction heating machine
    • Ladders
    • Laser printers
    • Levels
    • Locking pliers
    • Machine end mill
    • Magnetic tools
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal band sawing machine
    • Metal broaching machines
    • Metal cutters
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Micrometers
    • Mill saw file
    • Milling machines
    • Multi-tasking or universal machining center
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Personal computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Pitch measuring instruments
    • Planing machines
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Platform lift
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Power buffers
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power planes
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Putty knives
    • Radius gauge
    • Ratchets
    • Rubber mallet
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shaper cutter
    • Sharpening stones or tools or kits
    • Shears
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Sine bar
    • Sledge hammer
    • Slings
    • Socket sets
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Surface gauge
    • Surface grinding machine
    • Swaging tools
    • Taps
    • Telescoping gauge
    • Thermal spray machine
    • Thread counters or gauges
    • Threading die hand tool
    • Threading machine
    • Tongs
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Traveling column milling machine
    • Tube bending machine
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Turret lathe
    • Utility knives
    • Vertical machining center
    • Wave soldering machine
    • Wedges
    • Welder torch
    • Welding masks
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Industrial control software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Procedure management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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